What are OECMs?
“A geographically defined area other than a Protected Area, which is governed and managed in ways that achieve positive and sustained long-term outcomes for the in situ conservation of biodiversity with associated ecosystem functions and services and where applicable, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and other locally relevant values.” (by CBD, 2018)
Why are OECMs important for biodiversity?
- Expanding: Conservation Areas
- Conserving: Biodiversity in Diverse Landscapes
- Supporting: A Connected Conservation System
- Providing: Flexible and Adaptive Conservation Approaches
- Promoting: Cross-Sector Collaboration
OECMs (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures) are areas that contribute to biodiversity conservation outside formally designated protected areas. To be recognized as an OECM in fisheries, an area must meet the following key criteria:
- Criterion A: The Area is Not Currently Recognized as a Protected Area
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Criterion B: The Area is Governed and Managed
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Criterion C: Achieves Sustained and Effective Contributions to In-Situ Conservation of Biodiversity
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Criterion D: Associated ecosystem functions and services and cultural, spiritual, socioeconomic and other locally relevant values.
Type of method that promote effective conservation in OECMs
“Primary conservation”— Areas that meet the IUCN protected area criteria but are not officially designated because the governing authority’s choice not to acknowledge or report them as protected areas
“Secondary conservation”— Takes place when an area is actively managed, with biodiversity protection serving as a secondary management objective.
“Ancillary conservation”— Areas where in-situ conservation occurs as a secondary result of management activities, even though protecting biodiversity is not the primary objective.
